Unified Government used Euna OpenBook and Budget Book Studio to make complex financial decisions easier for residents, elected officials, and staff to understand

ATLANTA & TORONTO: Euna Solutions®, the leading provider of purpose-built, cloud-based software for the public sector, today recognized the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, for deploying Euna OpenBook and Budget Book Studio to make county budget information more accessible and easier to understand.

“Building credibility and confidence with the public requires more than just publishing budget numbers,” said Michael Peterson, Deputy Budget Director for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas. “Residents need to understand what changed, why it changed, and how those decisions affect services, taxes, and long-term community needs. Euna OpenBook and Budget Book Studio have helped us provide that context in a clearer, more accessible way, especially during complex decisions like going revenue neutral.”

Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, operate as a unified government serving more than 170,000 residents. Led by Deputy Budget Director Michael Peterson and Senior Budget Analyst Adrian Alemifar, the budget team manages responsibilities ranging from departmental finances and grant-supported community programs to the annual budget process.

Clear communication became especially important when Wyandotte County and Kansas City chose to go revenue neutral under Kansas state policy, meaning the government set its property tax rate to collect no more property tax revenue than the prior year, excluding new construction. For residents, the approach helps limit the impact of rising property values on tax bills and shows whether higher tax collections are coming from rising property values, an intentional policy decision, or both.

The decision had major budgetary consequences because property taxes account for roughly 60% to 70% of the county general fund. To remain revenue-neutral, the Unified Government had to reduce the tax rate applied to assessed property values to offset rising valuations. It was the largest property tax rate reduction in more than 20 years. It required removing capital funding for long-term investments such as facilities, equipment, infrastructure repairs, and major system improvements from the county general fund for that year.

As the Unified Government was transitioning to a new ERP system, the budget team saw an opportunity to modernize not only its back-end financial systems, but also how budget information was explained and shared with the public.

The Unified Government implemented Euna OpenBook to publish financial information for residents, elected officials, and other stakeholders. Using OpenBook’s Spotlight feature, the budget team created plain-language articles explaining what revenue-neutral meant, what was cut, and why, with separate Spotlights for the county and city.

The organization also adopted Budget Book Studio to modernize its annual budget book process. The solution helps the budget team organize budget narratives, financial data, charts, tables, department information, and supporting details in one publishing workflow, replacing years of assembling word processing files, spreadsheet exports, and PDFs by hand. The result is a more streamlined way to build, update, review, and publish the annual budget book.

The results have been both practical and meaningful: by publishing budget explanations in one accessible place, the Unified Government has made it easier for residents, commissioners, and communications staff to find clear, consistent information when they need it. The shared resource explains what changed, why it changed, and how decisions such as going revenue neutral affected taxes, services, and capital funding. This has supported more informed conversations, stronger internal coordination, and a clearer public view of how budget decisions are made.

“Public sector finance teams today are being asked to do more than produce accurate budgets. They are being asked to explain complex decisions in a way that builds understanding and trust,” said Brian Haney, Chief Customer Officer, at Euna Solutions. “The Unified Government’s work shows where budget communication is headed: toward clearer context, easier access, and more practical tools that help all stakeholders understand not just the numbers, but the decisions behind them. Euna is proud to support that shift with SaaS solutions that help state and local governments make financial information more transparent, useful, and actionable.”

Learn how Euna helps public sector organizations make budget decisions clearer and more accessible at eunasolutions.com.

About Euna Solutions

Euna Solutions® is the leading provider of purpose-built, cloud-based software designed to streamline procurement, budgeting, payments, and grants management for public sector and government organizations. Euna's AI-powered features and intelligent automation help organizations make better-informed decisions, ensure compliance, empower collaboration, and reduce administrative burden. Euna's full-cycle financial suite supports more than 3,600 organizations across North America in building trust, enabling transparency, and driving positive community impact. Recognized on Government Technology’s GovTech 100 list, Euna Solutions is committed to advancing public sector innovation. To learn more, visit www.eunasolutions.com.

Fonte: Business Wire